Few athletes are as globally recognizable as icon David Beckham. Even here in the U.S. where soccer is not nearly the sports juggernaught that it is just about everywhere else on the planet, Beckham is a mainstay in the fabric of our vast celebrity culture. So it was fitting that the Bleacher Report recently commissioned artists to create unique illustrations of the soccer superstar to mark his 40th birthday. We really love the diversity of styles here. We won’t mention our favorites, but it’s safe to say that they are all pretty fantastic in their own way. These assorted artists, whose backgrounds and influences are as distinct as their artistic styles, include Steve Welsh (UK); Alexis Marcou (New York City), previous post here; Sebastián Domenech (Buenos Aires); Dave Merrell (UK), previous post here; Brandon Spahn (Bloomington, Indiana); Bram Vanhaeren (Belgium); Nikkolas Smith (Los Angeles); Melvin Rodas (Philippines); Rory Martin (San Francisco); Gabriel De Los Rios (New York City); James White (Nova Scotia).